MONDAY 17 NOV – H 21:30 – ROOM 3

WHAT MARIELLE KNOWS Was Marielle weiss
GERMANY – 2025 – color – 87’

Direction: Frédéric Hambalek
Screenplay: Frédéric Hambalek
Cinematography: Alexander Griesser
Editing: Anne Fabini
Production design: Bartholomäus Martin Kleppek
Costumes: Mara Laibacher
Cast: Julia Jentsch (Julia), Felix Kramer (Tobias), Laeni Geiseler (Marielle), Mehmet Atesçi (Max), Moritz Treuenfels (Sören)
Producers: Philipp Worm, Tobias Walker in co-production with Frédéric Hambalek
Production: Walker + Worm Film
Distribution: Lucky Red
World Sales: Lucky Number
Italian distribution: Lucky Red

Synopsis
Julia and Tobias seem to be the perfect couple. Yet behind the facade and designer kitchen, trouble is brewing. Their fragile balance is shattered when their daughter Marielle suddenly develops telepathic abilities, giving her the power to see and hear everything her parents do, day and night. The couple soon realizes the lies they’ve been telling each other will not get past Marielle anymore. As Julia and Tobias’ most uncomfortable secrets are exposed, they engage in a manipulative game, leading to increasingly awkward, absurd situations nand unleashing unexpected consequences…

the director: FRÉDÉRIC HAMBALEK
Born in Karlsruhe, Germany in 1986, he studied film and American Studies in Mainz and won a scholarship to attend the Middlebury Bread Loaf School of English in Vermont, USA. While studying, he made several short films. His first script won the 2016 Tankred Dorst Prize and his screenwriting has also been nominated for the Grimme-Preis and the German Television Awards. In 2020, his no-budget feature film Model Olimpia premiered at the Tallinn Black Nights Festival. What Marielle Knows is his second feature film.

director’s statement
“Parents today have so many tools at their disposal – if they chose to, they can basically create a state of total surveillance around their kids. Once I made that observation, I started asking myself: What would happen if you reversed that power dynamic? What would parents do if they were monitored by their kids? Another thing that struck me and led me to this film, is how children ‘experience’ their parents. To a small child, their parents are virtually gods. They seem to know everything and can do anything. It’s only when starting to grow up that a child slowly realizes: these gods can make mistakes, too. They are struggling with life as well, much harder than we probably ever imagined as a kid. Marielle is going to get a crash course on all of this in the film, breaking some of her illusions, which is another aspect that adds weight to the story.”

filmography
2013 Zu dritt (The Three of Us, short)
2016 Bergfieber (Mountain Fever, short)
2017 Im wald (In The Woods, short)
2020 Modell Olimpia (Model Olimpia)
2025 Was Marielle weiss (What Marielle Knows)

awards and festivals
2025 Berlinale – Competition: Special Mention of Guild Film Prize Jury
2025 CineFest – Miskolc IFF – Official Selection
2026 European Film Awards: nominated in shortlist